The left in Falkirk will continue to organise despite far-right threats, writes Lewis Akers

In Falkirk on Thursday night the Forth Valley Palestine Solidarity group held a meeting with a local MP, Brian Leishman, and Yvonne Ridley. What was meant to be a night of solidarity with the people of Palestine turned into a worrying indication of how far racists and fascists in Falkirk and Scotland are willing to go to silence anti-racists. 

Members of Scottish Freedom Patriots, one of the most threatening and abusive groups to have emerged in Scotland over the last couple of months, staged a ‘protest’ outside the meeting. This so-called protest amounted to nothing more than attendees being abused and threatened as they entered and left the meeting. 

The extent of the threat was so serious that police had to attend to provide a physical deterrent to the fascists and racists inside. Despite police presence, local anti-racists and Palestine activists had to work together to escort each other to and from the venue and to provide ‘security’ at the door to stop well known racists like Mark Donald (who is a member of A Force For Good, run by Holocaust denier Mark McConnechie) from gaining entry. 

Karen Paton, co-chair of local anti-racist group, Falkirk For All, told Counterfire that “Combat 18 and other racist and fascist groups were in attendance at the so-called protest outside the Palestine meeting last night in Falkirk. A number of young and vulnerable people were particularly frightened. A child who attended with his family was shaking like a leaf at the thought of leaving the venue and they abused an elderly disabled man who could hardly walk and mobbed him. These aren’t the actions of political activists but of thugs.”

The idea that this was a protest would be laughable if the threat to local progressive campaigners wasn’t so serious. This was straight out of the historical fascist playbook, where Nazis attempt to stop the anti-racists and sympathisers by attempting to abuse, threaten and assault them into submission. Falkirk should be proud it stood last night in defiance of that intimidation. 

The events of Thursday night follow a wider pattern of behaviour like this that suggests this will be an ongoing feature of political life for those on the left in Falkirk. Fascists and racists have harassed and followed local refugees while attending events organised by local charities, they have threatened trade unionists at workers Memorial Day and they have picketed a hotel which doesn’t even house refugees. 

We need to be clear that fascism and racism are on the rise. That they will not only attempt to squash anti-racist campaigning but will also attempt to silence the anti-war movement and trade unionists. We need to push back against this tide of racism and fascism which is being pandered to by all shades of political opinion by connecting arguments like “welfare not warfare” with communities were fascists are recruiting as an antidote to the politics of racism and division which offers nothing to working class people in Falkirk or anywhere else in the UK.